Area pastors speak on war

Sunday morning was, by all accounts, one of the more memorable days this year. Its sheer beauty, however, was overshadowed by the cloud of war and the news of the first U.S. casualties.

After diplomacy efforts failed and Saddam Hussein did not heed the 48-hour warning to get out of Baghdad, the Coalition Forces invaded Iraq.

Many of the troops involved in the invasion hail from the North Channel area. Sunday morning, area ministers used their pulpits to comfort, boost the morale of their flock and pray.

Members of the congregation at Second Baptist Church in Jacinto City joined hands in circles and prayed.

"We had a prayer time at the beginning of the service where each group prayed for the president and the leaders who surround him," said Pastor Roland Wooderson.

In his 12th year as pastor of the church, Wooderson said he believed that President Bush was to be admired.

"He is a wise and Christian man by targeting just those pockets of resistance and doing his best to spare the lives of citizens," he said.

"All of us despise war, but when it has to be, I believe we have Scriptural basis to be involved."

Worshippers at Holy Trinity United Methodist Church signed cards for the two members in their church who have been called out to serve.

"We prayed for peace and for the war to end quickly," said Rev. W. C. Hall, Jr.

Hall, and other area ministers, are not only praying for American troops, but for the safety and well-being of innocent Iraqi citizens.

"This is something we've been doing for the last few weeks when war seemed imminent," said Hall.

Wooderson echoed the sentiment. "We recognize the approach today is directed toward terrorists and not necessarily a particular nation," Wooderson said, "and as a result, we are fighting a war that is unique in all of history."

Congregants at Uvalde Baptist Church received their message of faith and hope from their pastor who served as recently as the last military campaign in the Middle East.

"I served in Desert Storm as a Navy Corpsman attached to a Marine Division stationed in Camp Pendleton," said Pastor Galen Cooper.

When Cooper and his wife say they understand what families are going through as they are separated by the circumstances of war, they know by experience.

"If I were to be called back now," he said, "I'd go."

Sunday's service included a bit of symbolism. Prayers for the military were offered by veterans, including a prayer offered by Ed Helbert, a veteran P.O.W. who survived the March to Bataan. Helbert's grandson is in the Marine Corps.

In Cooper's message to the congregation, he said one of the reasons for war was selfishness and pride.

He also said that there was a righteousness for the war if it met a standard of justice.

"If it is to preserve freedom, protect innocent people and stop the spread of evil, it's a just cause," he said.

Cooper also said the response to war should be one of unity and support for one another and the troops who are paying the ultimate price.

"I'm very proud to be an American, and proud to serve my country," he said.

The pastor also spoke about protesters.

"They have a right to protest," he said. "They don't have a right, however, to attack civil servants, break the law or be destructive."

Rev. John Brady, or "Bro. John" as he is affectionately called by those who know him, will celebrate 50 years in the ministry and 50 years of marriage this year. Forty-two of those years have been spent in the North Channel area.

"We don't have any soldiers directly involved," he said, "but we are putting together a prayer list and passing that list out to our members and asking them to pray for our troops."

Brady also said his congregation is praying for the well-being of the Iraqis as well.

"We feel like it is a just war, and we pray for our president, troops and those in Iraq," he said.

Brady's parishioners are taking their message to the streets with bumper stickers.

"Our marquee sums it all up," he said. It reads, "He's the Christ of every crisis.